In this post I'll be looking at the trailer for "A Serious Man," the next upcoming feature from two of my favorite directors, the Coen brothers.
Like most trailers, this one uses a montage style, where meaning is derived from the interplay between different shots. The opening clip shows the main character, Larry, being slammed against a black board repeatedly by another man.
This clip sets the stage for Larry's desperate condition. It also allows the editor to introduce a cacophonic soundtrack made up of noises within the film, giving a sense of Larry's distress. The following shots are composed of Larry explaining his problems to an unsympathetic rabbi's secretary, broken up with shots that show his plight. This method of cutting back and forth adds a build-up of tension that brings the viewer into Larry's world as it slides downhill.
When the scene changes and piling of sounds cease, it almost seems as if relief is about to come for the besieged main character. Both Larry and the viewer hold their breath in anticipation. Even though the editor finally allows us to stay in one scene, the quick cuts back to Larry's anxious face followed by eye-line matches of the secretary approaching to the rabbi add suspense.
The suspense is resolved by yet another let-down: the rabbi is too busy "thinking" to see Larry. After a text sequence, we again see the opening shot of the main character being smashed against the blackboard, seeming to signify that Larry's dire situation is without end.
Judging from the trailer, the film looks to be just as genius as any of Joel and Ethan Coen's other movies!
